


Aurora Borealis

by southsidewrites



Series: can't keep from loving you [6]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Drabble, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Memories, Northern Lights, sort of fluffy too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 19:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20364184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southsidewrites/pseuds/southsidewrites
Summary: A short, sweet drabble in which Reggie and Lydia spend some time remembering Midge.





	Aurora Borealis

_According to the Dené people, the lights were the spirits of their departed loved ones dancing in the sky, and when the lights shone brightly, it meant that their deceased friends were very happy._

_-_

Lydia’s eyes drifted shut as the wind whipped through her hair. The cold, salty air felt sharp against her skin, and with each breath, the refreshing chill seeped through her entire body. Her skin erupted with goosebumps, and she clung more tightly to the shiny steel railing in front of her. Below her feet, she could feel the gentle rock of the boat as it cut through the inky-black waves.

Exhaling, she opened her eyes to see the misty cloud of her breath drift off in the night air, barely illuminated under the dim lights of the boat. Her lips curved into a grin as she looked up at the sky. Out there, surrounded by nothing but water, there were more stars than she had ever seen before.

With a shiver, Lydia pulled her coat more tightly around herself. She knew she should have grabbed a thicker one, but she didn’t want to wake up Reggie digging through her bags. Before she could spend much time dwelling on it, though, she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her waist.

“It’s the middle of the night, you know,” he murmured, his breath hot against the side of her neck.

“I know,” she sighed, leaning back into his embrace. He was still warm, having just crawled out of bed to join her on the deck. She breathed deeply and let her eyes fall shut again as she attempted to commit the moment to memory. The feel of his arms around her. The sharp wind against her face. The smell of the freezing, ocean air. The sound of the waves knocking against the boat. The way his lips pressed gently into her neck.

“So, what are you doing up?” His voice was barely above a whisper, so soft she could have lost it in the rush of the wind. His grip around her waist was firm, though, keeping her grounded with him.

“Couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged, pulling her eyes open to look back up at the stars. “Too much on my mind.”

Reggie followed her gaze up to the stars—she didn’t have to say a word for him to know what she was thinking. It was March, only days away from the anniversary. He let out a slow breath, biting his lip while he tried to find the words. It had been years now, but neither of them would ever forget.

“Some people say we become stars when we die.”

Lydia’s lips fell into an easy grin, and she wrapped her arms around his, holding herself impossibly closer. “I’ve always liked that. I mean, there was no way I could say something like that in front of my dad, but I’ve always liked it.” Tears pricked at her eyes as she sucked in a breath. “She would have made a great star.”

“She would.” Reggie loosened his grip on Lydia, brushing her messy hair off her face so he could press a soft kiss into her cheek. She shivered as his hands drifted down her cheek to her neck, his fingertips dancing across her pulse point before sliding back down to her waist. Even through her coat, his touch felt like a spark of fire against the icy chill.

She let her eyes fall shut again as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly, her nestled against his chest, his body shielding her from the worst of the wind. For a moment, she was still as she allowed the memories to overtake her. Just as she was about to drift away entirely, though, Reggie’s voice snapped her back into the present.

“Lydia, look.”

Taking a deep breath, she allowed the frigid air to shock her out of her memories. She was here, now—with Reggie. Then, she opened her eyes.

The night sky had come alive.

Everywhere she looked, the sky was alight—endless waves of green light shimmered through the blackness, turning the ocean emerald. The light moved slowly, almost leisurely, through the sky, the gentle waves and swirls spanning as far as she could see. They almost looked alive as they danced slowly through the stars.

Lydia’s lips parted, and her breath caught in her throat. “Oh my God, Reg, I didn’t think we’d be able to see them.”

“Me neither,” he breathed, his voice fading with awe as shadows of pink began to touch at the edges of the light, casting the boat in a warm glow. “Maybe she’s not a star, after all. Maybe she’s an aurora.”

Lydia blinked back tears, overcome with the utter magnificence of the lights. Midge’s hazel eyes and bright smile flicked through her mind, making her whole body ache with the weight of the memories. She could almost hear her laugh, could almost see the two of them, barely even teenagers, dancing barefoot in the dewy grass of her backyard, surrounded by nothing but the stars and the wind.

_If her soul’s anywhere_, she decided silently, _it’s in those lights._

The boat rocked below them, and Reggie’s grip on Lydia tightened. “Do you want to head back inside yet?”

“Not yet,” she whispered, unable to pull her eyes away from the illuminated sky. “Not until they’re gone.”

He nodded, and for a moment, they both seemed to drift away, their thoughts a tangle of lights and memories. Before they knew it, though, the lights started to fade, dipping back down below the horizon. One last wavery green light flicked across the sky, and then they were gone, replaced by the twinkling pinpricks of light from the stars.

Silently, Lydia unwound herself from Reggie’s embrace, taking his hand in hers and lacing their fingers together. They made their way back to their cabin, and as Reggie unlocked the door, Lydia turned around for one final look. “Love you,” she whispered, her voice so low that even she could barely hear it. “Always.”

Just above the horizon, an almost imperceptible flicker of green danced through the sky, the light coming and going so quickly, she wasn’t sure she even saw it. For her, though, it was enough. _Love you, too._

**Author's Note:**

> This drabble was really close to my heart in a lot of ways. Thank you so much for reading, and please let me know if you enjoyed it!


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